Dirty Dancing
by justakissaway
Summary: When Peyton goes with her family to Seabrook, she thought it was going to be just another boring summer vacation. But it's the blonde haired, blue eyed dance instructor there that changes everything. Peyton/Lucas
1. Prologue

**DIRTY DANCING**  
_A One Tree Hill Fanfiction_  
Prologue: Time of My Life

It was the summer after I graduated from Tree Hill High School. My dad hadn't been on vacation in years, too caught up with his busy medical practice to even think about taking time off, but he agreed that some rest and relaxation was way past due. It was my new stepmother, Karen, who came up with the idea that we should take one last family vacation before I left for college in the fall. He and Karen quickly became excited about the prospect and chose Seabrook, a beach resort in Florida, as our destination. The resort was owned by Karen's previous business partner, Deb, and her husband, Dan, who apparently gave us a great deal.

I went along with the idea mostly because I didn't want to hurt my dad, who I thought was the greatest guy in the world, or my new stepmother, who had been trying so hard to bond with me since they had gotten married several months earlier. After all, we would only be staying four weeks, a relatively short period of time in the grand scheme of things. What was four weeks compared to the rest of my life, especially if it meant making my dad and Karen happy? They had both already done so much for me.

I thought the summer at Seabrook was going to be just like any other boring family vacation. I even convinced my dad to let my best friend, Brooke Davis, to come along to help combat the boredom. I had no idea that in just those four short weeks, my whole world would be turned upside down.

After four weeks at Seabrook, I realized that I did have my own place, that I could live up to other people's expectations of me, and that my goals weren't unattainable pipe dreams. I wasn't so scared anymore: of life, of me, of people around me. I left with a brand new outlook. I left a changed person.

That was the summer I met Lucas Scott. That was the summer that I had to the time of my life, and I owed it all to him.

- - -

Author's Note: This is a very short prologue, just to test the waters and see if this piques anybody's interest. Dirty Dancing is my favorite movie of all time, so I thought I would see how it would go to combine it with my favorite TV show. Future chapters will be longer.

Please review and let me know what you think.


	2. Chapter 1

**DIRTY DANCING**_  
A One Tree Hill Fanfiction_  
Chapter 1:

_So kiss me and smile for me  
Tell me that you'll wait for me  
Hold me like you'll never let me go  
Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane  
Don't know when I'll be back again  
Oh baby, I hate to go_

"Is there anything else on the radio?"

Peyton Sawyer looked up from her sketchbook to glance across the car at her best friend, Brooke Davis, an expression of either pain or boredom written across her pretty features; Peyton wasn't quite sure which. Brooke caught her eye and pulled a face. Peyton had to grin.

From the front seat, Larry Sawyer laughed. He looked at the two girls in the backseat through his rear-view mirror. "You don't appreciate the oldies, Brooke?" Larry asked, clearly amused.

"Of course I do!" Brooke replied quickly. "Just not the old oldies. Anyway," she continued, changing the subject as she looked out the window at the "Seabrook Resort Welcomes You!" sign that just whizzed past, "we're almost there, aren't we?"

Karen Roe consulted the GPS that was mounted on the windshield. "We should be pulling in any minute now, actually," she replied.

She was met with a squeal from Brooke, who immediately began fishing around in her purse for a compact and her signature red lipstick. Peyton watched as Brooke applied a fresh coat of the lipstick, then fluffed out her dark brown hair, which fell just past her shoulders in perfect curls. Peyton rolled her eyes as she began to close her sketchbook in anticipation of arriving at the resort.

As Karen had said, they pulled into the guest parking lot of Seabrook within five minutes. Brooke was the first one out of the car, jumping out almost before the wheels stopped rolling. She stretched her long, tanned legs as she looked around, taking in her surroundings.

A large, dark-haired man and a petite blonde woman were approaching, and as soon as they got close enough, the woman launched herself into Karen's arms. "Karen Roe! Or should I say Karen Sawyer!" she exclaimed as the man reached out to shake Larry's hand.

"It's so good to see you, Deb," Karen said earnestly with a smile. "You too, Dan," she added, shaking the man's hand. "This is my husband, Larry, my stepdaughter, Peyton, and Peyton's best friend, Brooke. You guys, this is Dan and Deb Scott."

"Welcome everyone!" Dan said enthusiastically. "We're very excited to have you all here."

"And we're thrilled to be here," Karen returned. She reached for Larry's hand and squeezed it as she beamed up at him. "This is our first vacation as a family, and I can't think of a better place to spend it."

"We hope Seabrook will live up to your expectations," Deb said with a smile.

"Let me get someone to show you to your cabin," Dan said, looking around, before finally setting his gaze on someone. "McFadden! Over here!" he called out, whistling. In just a moment, a young man appeared at his side. "Go get their suitcases and take them to Cabin Three," he instructed quietly. Looking back to his guests, he smiled and continued, "Cabin Three is our biggest and best cabin."

Peyton rolled her eyes as she quietly walked away from where her dad, Karen, and Brooke stood, talking to Dan, and followed the man Dan had referred to as McFadden. First impressions meant a lot to Peyton and her first impression of Dan Scott wasn't exactly favorable. She could see straight through his pleasant facade; it was obvious to her that Dan was not a very nice person.

"Here, let me help you," Peyton said, reaching into the trunk of the SUV and pulling out several suitcases.

"Hey, thanks," he said with a genuine smile. "I'm Marvin, Marvin McFadden...but everybody calls me Mouth."

Peyton raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything, simply taking his outstretched hand and shaking it. "Peyton."

"So, you looking for a job?" Mouth asked jokingly.

"I think I'll let you handle it," Peyton replied with a light laugh.

Dan's booming voice caught Peyton's attention once again. "McFadden here will show you to your cabin. As far as activities, Karen, Larry...I expect to see you all out there with our dancers!"

- - -

"Did you see all the beautiful men out there?" Brooke gushed from her spot on one of the two twin beds in the bedroom she and Peyton would be sharing. She rolled over onto her back, staring dreamily up at the ceiling. "This is going to be a great summer!"

"I didn't really notice," Peyton said, shrugging. She continued to put her neatly folded clothes into the chest of drawers. "So are you planning on living out of your suitcases the entire summer?" She cocked an eyebrow at Brooke's luggage, which was scattered about the room.

"I just might," Brooke replied, but stood up from the bed and began unpacking anyway. She rifled through her suitcases, pulling out various items, including at least six pairs of shoes. She lined them up in the closet floor, then gasped. "Shit! I left my black sandals at home! I was planning on wearing them tonight." Her red lips formed into a pout as she stared at Peyton, who shook her head in response.

"You can wear mine if you want." Peyton had been about to slip her feet into her black sandals, but held them up instead.

Brooke wrinkled her nose, looking at the sandals doubtfully. "I don't know, they're practically flat, and I like to wear heels..."

"Suit yourself," Peyton said, putting the shoes back on the floor.

"Fine, they'll do," Brooke said finally, putting the sandals on as Peyton slid on a pair of white flip flops. "Do you want me to do your make up?" Her eyes were sparkling with excitement.

"I don't think so," Peyton said, walking into the connected bathroom and observing herself in the mirror. She reached into her make up case and freshened up her blush and eyeshadow, then applied a sheer lip gloss. She used a few bobby pins to pin the back and sides of her hair up, creating some volume in the crown.

"Are you girls ready for dinner?" The voice of Peyton's father floated into the bathroom.

"Yes, Daddy, be out in a second!" Peyton called, taking another look at herself in the mirror before going to join her dad and Karen in the living room. Ten minutes later, Brooke was ready, and the four of them headed across the resort to the dining room.

They had barely seated themselves at their table when Deb and Dan appeared, along with a dark haired young man who appeared to be Peyton and Brooke's age.

"Well hello again, Sawyers," Dan greeted them cheerily. "I just wanted to check on you and make sure you've found everything to your liking so far."

"Everything is perfect, Dan," Karen said politely. "You've got such a nice place here. When Deb told me you all had taken over a resort, I had no idea it would be this nice."

"It's all because of Deb," Dan said. "She's the mastermind behind the operation." He squeezed Deb's shoulder. "Let me introduce you all to my son, Nathan," he added, gesturing towards the young man accompanying him. "Nathan, I'm sure you remember Karen. This is her husband Larry, daughter Peyton, and Peyton's friend Brooke."

"It's nice to meet you," came several different voices at once. Peyton was already tired of saying those words, and they were only a few hours into their vacation. Hopefully there wouldn't be many more new people to meet. Peyton felt Nathan's eyes on her and squirmed under his gaze.

"Felix! Come over here and meet our new guests," Dan called suddenly, and Peyton almost groaned out loud. She stopped herself, smiling pleasantly instead as someone strode up to their table. Dan put an arm around that someone. "This is Felix Taggaro, one of the best waiters here at Seabrook. I'll be sure to have him serve you each meal. Nothing but the best for Karen and her new family. Deb and I will be back to check up on you all a bit later." With that, Dan and Deb made their way across the dining room, stopping to check on other guests along the way.

"It's wonderful to meet you. If I can get you anything, please be sure to let me know," Felix said, looking around the table. His eyes lingered on Brooke, who was batting her eyelashes at him furiously. "It's not so often that I get to wait on such a beautiful lady...ladies." He glanced briefly at Peyton, but flicked his eyes back to Brooke immediately.

Peyton rolled her eyes for what seemed to be the hundredth time since they arrived at Seabrook. Felix was a charmer, all right, but something about him gave Peyton a bad feeling. She could just tell that he wasn't the polite, well-mannered gentleman he was trying to make himself out to be. Unfortunately, Brooke was a jerk magnet and never learned from her mistakes.

"Could I get a glass of water, please?" Peyton asked, interrupting the staring match happening between Felix and Brooke. Brooke shot her a look and crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back into her chair.

"Of course, Miss Sawyer," Felix said smoothly, not missing a beat. "And what can I get for everybody else? Water, tea, lemonade, a soda?"

"I'll have sweet tea," Larry said, and Karen and Brooke echoed Peyton's request for water. When Felix disappeared to get their drinks, Brooke kicked Peyton under the table and gave her a sharp look.

"You don't have to be so rude to him!" Brooke hissed.

Peyton shrugged. "He's a jerk," she commented nonchalantly.

"You don't even know him!" Brooke exclaimed incredulously.

"And I don't want to know him. I've seen enough of Felix Taggaro to last me the whole summer."

- - -

After dinner, Peyton, Larry, and Karen walked across the grounds of the resort to the main auditorium where the majority of the evening activities were held. Tonight's activity, Dan had informed them during dinner, was dancing. The resort had some of the best entertainment staff around, Dan had assured them, and they would not be disappointed. Brooke stayed behind in the dining room, saying she would catch up with them later.

"Brooke has lost her mind," Peyton lamented, blowing a piece of hair out of her eyes. "I don't like him at all. Brooke has the worst taste in guys."

Larry laughed, wrapping an arm around Peyton. "That may be true, but she can make her own decisions, Peyton," he said, well aware of Brooke's track record in dating.

"She'll be fine," Karen added. "Dan seems to think highly of Felix."

Peyton gave her a look. "Well, I can't say I think Dan is the most virtuous man, either."

"That's enough, Peyton," Larry said warningly, then pushed open the door to the auditorium.

Almost as soon as Peyton stepped through the door, Nathan Scott approached her, grinning widely. "Hello, Peyton, my father said you all would be coming. Would you like to dance?" He gestured to the dance floor.

Peyton was about to turn him down when, to her horror, her father pushed her gently towards Nathan. "I think that's a great idea," Larry said. "Peyton would love that, wouldn't you, Peyton?"

Peyton scowled at her father. "Sure," she said halfheartedly as she reluctantly allowed Nathan to lead her out to the dance floor. One dance seemed to last for an eternity as Nathan rambled on and on about various things, but mostly his full-ride basketball scholarship that he'd received because he was the "star" of his high school team. The music couldn't have come to an end soon enough for Peyton, who wriggled from his grasp as soon as she could. She started to walk off the dance floor but was stopped by Mouth, the staff member who had helped her family with their luggage earlier.

"You having fun out there with Mr. Ego?" Mouth asked as he put another CD into the CD player.

Peyton reached over and slapped Mouth on the arm. "My dad made me do it! I swear, the things fathers do to their daughters."

"Don't worry," Mouth said, "I'll keep you occupied the rest of the night."

A new song started, and the energy immediately began to pick up as the Latin-like beat filled the auditorium. A cheer erupted from the center of the room as two figures began dancing in time to the music. Peyton stopped and watched as the girl's long brown hair flew around her head and gasped when she caught a glimpse of her dancing partner. He had sandy blonde hair that seemed to stick out in a million places, a lean, muscled body that was apparent beneath his black dress shirt, and hypnotizing blue eyes. Peyton couldn't pull her eyes away from the couple as they danced. They moved so well together.

"They shouldn't be showing off like this," came a voice that startled Peyton. She looked to her side to see Nathan standing there, his arms crossed over his chest, as he stared at the pair on the dance floor. He shook his head. "My dad hates it when they do that. They're supposed to be selling dance lessons, not scaring everybody away."

"I would pay for dance lessons from him," Peyton said shortly. "I don't think they're showing off so much as they are showcasing their abilities to the guests. It makes me think that even I could dance like that."

"Yeah, whatever." Nathan rolled his eyes. "That guy is nothing but trouble, Peyton. You don't want anything to do with him, okay? My dad only keeps him on here because he dances so well. He's a guest favorite."

"Well, it's none of your business who I associate with, now is it?" Peyton said coolly. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to head back to our cabin. I've had enough for one evening." With that, she turned on her heel and made her way to the exit, stopping only long enough to turn back to get one last look at the mystery guy.

- - -

Author's Note: So here's a bit longer of a chapter. I'm so glad to have gotten the response I did to the prologue, and I hope this first chapter lives up to your expectations as well! Please review!


	3. Chapter 2

**DIRTY DANCING**  
_A One Tree Hill Fanfiction_  
Chapter 2:

Lucas slammed his cabin door shut behind him as he stormed across the staff area of the resort to Mouth's cabin. He knocked briefly on the door, pushing it open and walking inside before his friend could answer.

"Shit!" Mouth shouted, surprised at Lucas's entrance. He pulled on a pair of boxers.

"Sorry," Lucas said, turning his back.

"There's no use in knocking if you don't wait for someone to reply," Mouth complained irritably, yanking on a pair of jeans.

"Sorry," Lucas said again. He crossed his arms over his chest as he turned back around. Mouth was sifting through a pile of shirts on the floor. "I just needed to talk."

"Your dancing lesson with Nicki went bad," Mouth stated, finally deciding on a gray T-shirt. He pulled it over his head.

"How did you know?" Lucas asked as he sat down in the nearest chair.

Mouth shrugged and gave his friend a smile. "Ah, you know how stuff gets around at Seabrook. I'm sure everyone knows about it by now." He straightened the covers on his bed and then sat down on it. "So, what happened exactly?"

Lucas sighed as he thought back to the events of the night before.

_Nicki was waiting for him in his cabin. When he walked inside, she was perched on his bed, wearing a low-cut shirt and a very tight pair of jeans that he wasn't sure was appropriate for a dance lesson. Slow, sultry music was playing in the background. He looked at her with one eyebrow raised. "You ready for your dance lesson?"_

_Nicki jumped, but quickly regained her composure when she saw who had just spoken. "Oh, yes," she said, standing from her spot on the bed. She tossed her long, black hair over her shoulder as she crossed the room, narrowing the space between them. "I've been looking forward to it all day," she purred._

_Lucas dropped his bag on the floor as he watched her curiously. She pulled the neckline of her already revealing shirt down, a seductive look on her face._

_Lucas shook his head in exasperation as he pulled the neckline of her shirt back up. "Nicki, I'm really tired," he said, trying to be as patient as possible. "It's been a really long day, and I'm not in the mood for games. Let's just get this over with."_

_She stared at him before replying, "Come on, Luke. Why fight it when we both want this to happen?"_

_He stared back. "Want what to happen?"_

_"The inevitable," she replied, pulling her shirt over her head, revealing a lacy black bra underneath. She bit her lip and tossed Lucas her shirt before reaching around to undo the clasp of her bra._

_"Don't, Nicki," Lucas said, annoyed now. He threw her shirt back at her. "I don't think me giving you a dance lesson is a good idea after all. You obviously think something else is going to happen." Lucas crossed the room to his CD player and shut the music off, then walked back to the door, which he held open for her._

_Nicki stared at him, disbelief written on her face. She tugged her shirt back on, her cheeks beginning to turn red. Lucas wasn't sure if it was due to embarrassment, anger, or both, but he didn't particularly care. She met him at the door, but stopped before leaving. "Is there someone else? I mean, you're not with Haley, right? I haven't seen you with anyone else. What's going on?"_

_"It's really none of your business," Lucas replied shortly. He glanced pointedly at the door._

_Nicki stared at him open mouthed for several seconds before pushing past him. Before she stormed out the door, she hissed, "You will regret this, Lucas." And then she was gone._

"When Nicki came up to me last week asking for a few dance lessons, I didn't think anything of it," Lucas began, resting his head in his hand. "Apparently just learning some dance steps wasn't purely her intention. I told her I wasn't interested, she got pissed, and she stormed out. I wouldn't care so much if it wasn't Nicki. That girl is malicious. I know this will somehow come back to bite me in the ass."

"I really wouldn't worry about it, Luke," Mouth said after considering Lucas's situation. He switched off the overhead light as they left the cabin. "What's the worst thing she could do?"

Lucas shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "Something just tells me this isn't the last I've heard from Nicki."

Mouth clapped Lucas on the back as Haley stepped out of her cabin to join them. Lucas smiled at his friend and slid an arm around her shoulders. She looked tired and weak and Lucas instantly became concerned. "What's wrong?"

Haley shook her head. "Nothing," she replied quickly. She cast a glance at Mouth, telling Lucas she didn't want to go into anything with him there. "I'll talk to you later," she promised in a low voice.

Lucas frowned, opening his mouth to argue, but Haley shook her head again and began to walk toward the staff dining room. Lucas had no choice but to keep his mouth shut and follow her.

- - -

"You know, I think I must be the luckiest guy here at Seabrook to be able to wait on a beautiful woman such as yourself," Felix said smoothly to Brooke as she and Peyton seated themselves at a table in the dining room. Larry and Karen had already been up and gone when the girls had gotten out of bed that morning, so that left them to go to breakfast alone. Peyton suddenly found herself wishing she had stayed behind in the cabin to work on her sketches.

Brooke giggled as Felix turned on the charm, eating it all up. "I think you're pretty lucky, too," she agreed, batting her eyelashes at him.

Peyton groaned miserably as the flirtatious banter continued between the two. She rested her elbow on the table and her head in her hands as she picked at her eggs, having suddenly lost her appetite. She tuned Brooke and Felix out, instead thinking of anything and everything else she could come up with.

"I didn't think I'd ever meet a girl like you," Felix was saying when Peyton finally tuned back in a few minutes later. She rolled her eyes.

"Could I get some more orange juice?" Peyton asked suddenly. "Excuse me, I'd like some more juice, please," she said again, more loudly, when Felix didn't respond.

Felix gave her a scathing look, but Peyton just smiled sweetly at him. "Coming right up," he said evenly before heading to the kitchen to fulfill her request.

Brooke gave Peyton a nasty look. "Is it so hard for you to be nice to boys?" she hissed angrily. "It's not my fault that no one here is interested in you! You shouldn't be bitter about it and take it out on me!"

"This is ridiculous," Peyton snapped, standing up from the table. "Brooke, you are attracted to the most awful, sleazy guys in existence, and they're all attracted to you because they think you're gonna give them what they want! Excuse me if I don't want that for myself! Excuse me if I try to look out for my best friend!" She stomped away, ignoring anything Brooke might have to say to her.

Peyton arrived back to the cabin in just a few minutes. She let the front door slam behind her. Her sketchbook was in the bedroom she and Brooke were sharing, so she grabbed it and headed back onto the porch, settling down onto the porch swing. There was a light breeze in the air, and Peyton felt it lifting her curls. She laid her head back, enjoying the breeze for a moment. Suddenly, Peyton heard a voice from somewhere to her right and she decided to search it out. It didn't take long for her to locate the dance studio just a few feet in front of her family's cabin. She peeked through the window and saw her mystery guy's dance partner leading a class. It looked and sounded like she was wrapping things up, and Peyton debated whether or not she should go talk to her...

- - -

"All right, ladies, that's it for today!" Haley called out to her class of middle-aged rich women and smiled. She forced a smile onto her face as she started to busy herself with packing up all of her belongings, hoping it would discourage any of the guests from coming up to talk to her.

"Excuse me?" a tentative voice made her jump.

Haley sighed as she looked up at the blonde girl standing at her side. She forced a smile onto her face, knowing that if she was rude to a guest it would somehow get back to Dan Scott. She couldn't afford to put her job at risk. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"I, um, just wanted to tell you how impressed I was with your dancing," the girl said, shifting from foot to foot. "I saw you and your, um, dancing partner last night. You two were amazing."

"Oh, thank you for saying that," Haley said quickly before returning her attention to packing up her things. She hoped the girl would take the hint. She didn't want to be rude, especially to someone who had gone out of their way to say something nice to her, but she really wasn't in the mood for conversation.

"Well, uh, I hope to, uh, see you around," the girl said before leaving the room.

Haley let out a sigh of relief. Most people wouldn't have taken the hint and would have stuck around trying to chit chat casually. She slung her bag over her shoulder and left the studio. She hadn't made it very far when Lucas came running up to her and grabbed her arm.

"Haley!" Lucas exclaimed as he took her bag from her, putting it over his own shoulder. "What the hell is going on? You've been avoiding me all day."

All it took was one look at Lucas and Haley found herself promptly bursting into tears. "Luke, what am I going to do?" she asked through her tears. She let him pull her into his arms and buried her head into his chest. "I've really screwed up this time!"

"Shh, shh," Lucas said, stroking her hair soothingly. "What is it? I'm sure it's not that bad."

Haley drew in a sharp breath before whispering, "I think I'm pregnant."

"What?" Lucas asked, clearly shocked. He held her at arm's length, staring into her eyes, trying to assess the situation.

"I think I'm pregnant," Haley said again, sobbing. "What am I going to do, Luke? I can't have a baby! And I would bet my entire summer's wages that the father isn't going to have anything to do with me or the baby!"

"Do you know for sure?" Lucas asked.

Haley shook her head. "No, but I've been sick every morning for awhile now, and I'm late... I can't think of anything else that it could be!"

Lucas raked a hand through his hair. "Okay, listen, let's calm down, Hales," he said. "Here's what we'll do. I'll go get you a test sometime this evening so we can find out for sure. If it's positive...then we'll go from there, okay?"

Haley nodded and gave Lucas a bleary smile. "Okay," she agreed, sniffling and wiping her nose with her hand. "Luke, you're the best friend I've ever had. Thank you."

"No, don't worry about it," Lucas replied, taking Haley in his arms again. He squeezed her tightly before releasing her. "I will always be here for you, Hales, I promise."

"Thanks," she said again, leaning against him as they started walking.

- - -

Peyton was just finishing her dessert as her dad and Karen excused themselves from the table with plans on seeing a play being put on by part of the entertainment staff. Peyton and Brooke were free to do whatever they wanted as long as they didn't leave the resort. Brooke immediately announced her plans to hang out with Felix, which didn't surprise Peyton, who decided to tour the resort so she would be able to find her way around better. As she left the dining room and headed out into the cool evening air, she could hear strains of music coming from somewhere across the resort. Briefly she wondered if the blonde haired mystery guy would be in the auditorium for the play tonight, and thought about going to check. Her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar male voice.

"Well, what a surprise. We meet again."

Peyton rolled her eyes before turning to face Nathan. "Hi, Nathan," she replied in a tone that she hoped would tell him she wasn't interested in seeing him tonight.

"I was wondering if you'd like to try dancing again," Nathan asked, obviously not catching the hint. "They aren't having dancing as tonight's activity, but we could make our own dance floor right out here." He opened his arms wide, indicating the large clearing they were standing in.

Peyton sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "I appreciate the offer," Peyton started, trying to quickly come up with an excuse, "but I, uh, I actually promised my friend Brooke that we could spend the evening in the cabin. Chick flicks and ice cream." She laughed a little, but even to her ears it sounded fake. She shrugged, continuing, "Maybe some other time?"

The look on Nathan's face told her very clearly that he didn't believe her, but he just smiled and nodded. "Sure, but I'm holding you to that, Peyton." He winked at her before heading into the ballroom to terrorize some other unsuspecting guest, Peyton was sure. She rolled her eyes as soon as he was gone and turned away from the ballroom, wanting to go somewhere- anywhere- else, just as long as Nathan wouldn't be there. This was shaping up to be a great vacation, she mused as she walked. Her dad and Karen were going to be so preoccupied with each other that they wouldn't notice her much, and Brooke was going to be far too busy chasing Felix and any other guy that happened to pay attention to her. Where did that leave Peyton? Alone? Trying to avoid Nathan for the entirety of her vacation by making up lame excuses so she wouldn't have to be around him?

She wandered around the resort for a few minutes, so lost in her thoughts that she had no idea where she was going or even in what direction she need to go to get back to her family's cabin. She finally came upon a gate with a big sign reading "STAFF ONLY; NO GUESTS ALLOWED." Peyton, hesitating only for a moment, glanced over her shoulder before opening the gate and slipping through, following the narrow path that led to the staff cabins.

Someone was crossing the bridge a few feet in front of her, and when Peyton recognized who it was she smiled and called out to him. "Mouth! Hey, wait a sec!" She quickened her pace to catch up to him. He was struggling to carry three large watermelons and, with a laugh, Peyton took one from him. He rebalanced the weight of the other two melons in his arms.

"What are you doing here?" he asked with a frown.

Peyton shrugged. "I was just taking a walk," she replied. "Where are you taking these?"

"Don't worry about it," Mouth said quickly. "You aren't supposed to be here, Peyton. Dan would kill me if he caught you here."

"No one saw me come down here, Mouth," Peyton reassured him. "It's okay."

Mouth shook his head. "No, honestly...we could both wind up in trouble. I saw you talking to Nathan earlier. Why don't you go find him and hang out?"

Peyton scowled at him as she handed back the watermelon before starting to walk away. Mouth struggled under the added weight, trying to balance all three melons once again. He let out an exasperated sigh. "Okay, okay, fine!" he called back to Peyton. When she turned back to look at him, she had a huge grin on her face. "You can't tell anyone about this, okay? Not even Brooke. If Felix found out, he'd be the first to let the cat out of the bag."

Peyton nodded and once again took a watermelon from his arms. They walked toward the cabin, the music getting louder and louder the closer they got. Mouth used his foot to kick open the closed doors and moved out of the way to let Peyton walk inside.

She almost dropped her watermelon when she took in the sight before her. The room was packed with staff members, some she recognized, some she didn't. They all were dancing to the music, grinding into each other, hands roaming over bodies. Peyton had been to nightclubs before, but she had never seen anything that could compare to what was before her eyes at that moment. Apparently the shock was written all over her face, because Mouth stifled a laugh when he looked at her.

"Come on," he said, and Peyton followed him through the crowd. She tried not to stare at anyone as she walked by, but she was having a hard time keeping her eyes off all the bodies moving to the music. Peyton was sure that everyone who saw her would know that she didn't belong there. She just hoped no one would say anything to Dan, or worse, to her dad and Karen.

Peyton set her watermelon down on a table in the corner where Mouth had just placed the two he was carrying. "Could you imagine dancing like this on the main floor?" Mouth asked, leaning in close to Peyton. "Dan would have a heart attack for sure."

Peyton turned to respond, but before she could she saw the same dancer with the sandy blonde hair and his partner come breezing into the room, greeted by whistles and yells. Peyton's breath caught in her throat as she watched them make their way to the center of the room and begin dancing, this time much more sexually than she had seen the night before.

"Lucas and Haley make quite a couple, don't they?" Mouth asked, realizing where Peyton's eyes were focused.

"Yeah," Peyton agreed, watching their bodies move almost as if they were one.

"You'd almost think they were together, wouldn't ya?" he continued, putting emphasis on the word "together."

Peyton's eyes flicked up to Mouth's in surprise. "They're not?" she asked quickly.

Mouth shook his head. "Nah, not since junior high." He smiled. "They've been best friends forever, always say it feels like kissing a sibling."

"Oh," was all Peyton said, feeling pleasantly surprised at the news. She instantly berated herself for even beginning to think that she had any shot at all with the mystery guy who now had a name, Lucas.

"Hey, Mouth!"

Peyton was jolted out of her thoughts by an unfamiliar voice. She was shocked when she looked up to find Lucas and his partner, Haley, standing in front of her. The first thing Peyton noticed was that he didn't look happy to see her.

"What's she doing here?" he asked, gesturing to Peyton.

"She's with me," Mouth said quickly. "It's okay, I asked her to come with me."

Peyton began moving herself from foot to foot as she felt Lucas's blue eyes settle on her as he seemed to be giving her an appraising look. She knew she should say something, but suddenly her mind was blank, and she had not even the faintest idea of what she could say. She searched her mind frantically, hoping that whatever came out of her mouth next would be enough to interest Lucas.

"I carried a watermelon." The second the words came out of her mouth, she felt like an idiot, and she wished she could disappear as Lucas stared at her, his expression unreadable. He took his eyes off her, looked at Mouth, and then guided Haley back to the dance floor.

"I carried a watermelon?" Peyton brought the palm of her hand to her forehead, realizing how stupid she must have sounded. "Listen, Mouth, I'm going to get out of here before I make an even bigger idiot of myself," she said, quickly heading toward the door. Before she could leave, a hand grabbed her arm. She spun around to see Lucas giving her a half smile.

"You're not leaving already, are you?" he asked. "You didn't come just to watch, did you?"

Peyton stared at him, her eyes wide. "I...I...no," she finally replied, feeling her cheeks heat up. He was so close that she could smell his musky cologne.

He grinned widely at her. "Okay, then." He took her hands and led her to an empty spot on the dance floor. He leaned in close to her so she could hear him over the loud music. "Bend your knees a little bit."

Peyton followed his instructions, surprised when Lucas put his hands on her hips. "Like this?" she asked, suddenly feeling very self-conscious and very, very nervous.

"Yeah." Lucas nodded. "But don't look down at the floor. Look right here into my eyes." He placed a finger beneath her chin, pulling her head up so that her eyes were staring directly into his.

Peyton almost felt dizzy as she stared into his gorgeous blue eyes. She felt herself being pulled even closer, if it was possible, to Lucas's body. His hands forced her hips to begin moving. "Now what?" she asked breathlessly, not daring to pull her eyes away from his.

"Just listen to the music," he whispered into her ear, sending shivers down her spine, "and do what you feel." He took her arms and placed them around his neck, and Peyton felt herself start to relax. Her heart was still pounding wildly in her chest, and she was almost positive that Lucas could hear it or feel it or both. She kept her hips moving, listening to the music that surrounded them. She felt his hands at the small of her back, and he dipped her, then slowly brought her back up to where their faces were just inches, if not centimeters, apart. He grinned at her again, making her knees feel like jelly. "So, do you have a name?"

"Peyton," she replied. "What about you? Do you have a name?" she added, even though she already knew it.

Lucas chuckled lightly and rested his forehead against hers. "Nice to meet you, Peyton. I'm Lucas."

If it were possible, Peyton's heart began beating at an even faster pace. She was sure it was going to beat right out of her chest. There was something about the way that he said her name...something utterly and completely sexy. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she wished he would say it again.

The music ended far too soon, and Lucas stepped away from her. "Thanks for the dance," Lucas said, smiling before taking her hand and kissing her fingers.

"You're welcome. And thank you," Peyton managed to say as Lucas smiled again and backed away into the crowd.

- - -

Author's Notes: Here's a really quick update that I was able to work on the past couple of days while I was off work. It will be at least 3-4 more days before the next update is ready, so enjoy the two back-to-back updates for now. :) Plus this chapter is extra long.

I'm really having a blast writing this story! It is so much fun imagining the One Tree Hill characters in Dirty Dancing. Anyway, this chapter answers a question a couple people had about who Lucas's dance partner is. I really love the friendship between Lucas and Haley and thought it fit well with the story, so that's why I chose Haley...and also because I didn't want to leave any of the original main characters out. Also, the Nicki who is trying to seduce Lucas in this story is Jake Jagielski's Nicki.

Anyway, I had to include the famous "I carried a watermelon" line in this. Does anyone have any other "must have" lines or scenes from the movie that you hope to see included in this story? I'm already planning on including most, if not all, of the major recognizable scenes and quotes, but just in case I'm forgetting something, leave your requests in a review.

As always, thanks for the response you've given me so far, and please continue to review! If you have any questions if anything is confusing, please let me know. I will be glad to answer.


	4. Chapter 3

**DIRTY DANCING**_  
A One Tree Hill Fanfiction_  
Chapter 3:

Nicki blew her whistle once more, watching as the remaining swimmers were ushered out of the water. The sun was beginning to set and the lifeguards would be going off duty soon.

Her mind hadn't really been on the job today. Instead she'd been thinking almost constantly about Lucas Scott and his rejection of her the night before. She was still pissed off about it and going over and over the scenario again in her mind did nothing to relieve her anger. Nicki wasn't used to not getting what she wanted. When she set her sights on something, she would stop at almost nothing to get it.

She still hadn't been able to come to a conclusion about what had gone wrong. Usually all she would have to do was make the offer and then the man of her choice was in her bed in a matter of minutes. It wasn't vanity, but Nicki knew she was a beautiful, desirable woman, and she'd been interested in Lucas for awhile now.

They had worked together at Seabrook for several summers, but it was this summer that Nicki decided would be the perfect time to pursue him. She hadn't expected it to be so difficult. Nicki was sure that Lucas knew she was interested in him before she asked him for dance lessons, so when he easily accepted her request, she took it to mean that he was interested in her. Apparently not.

Nicki still couldn't figure out when things had gone wrong. She'd done everything she could think of to make sure that Lucas wouldn't be able to resist her. She had worn her most revealing top and a pair of jeans that she practically had to pour herself into, but they always drove the guys wild. She'd chosen her sexiest black lingerie that she was sure was going to seal the deal as soon as Lucas laid eyes on it...but it hadn't. She had arrived at his cabin ten minutes before the lesson to put on some music and light some candles, thinking it would set the perfect mood...but it hadn't. Lucas had shut the music off before sending her packing, humiliated.

"What the hell else does he want?" Nicki screamed in frustration.

A voice broke into Nicki's thoughts. "I don't know what he wants or even who he is, but I can tell you what I want."

A tall man with dark hair was standing in front of her, his dark eyes dancing with amusement and a grin on his face. He took a couple of steps forward. "Sorry to interrupt your, ah, moment, but I thought it sounded like you needed someone to talk to."

Nicki stared at him for a moment, then shook her head. "I don't need anyone to talk to, Dr. Phil."

He shrugged. "Well, forgive me for assuming. When someone as beautiful as you is obviously brokenhearted and screaming at the top of her lungs, it's hard to think that they don't need someone to talk to."

"You don't know anything about me," Nicki said, angry that this stranger was acting like he knew her.

"Your eyes have told me everything but your name," he said simply. "I'm Felix."

Nicki rolled her eyes. "Nicki. Do tell me what you think my problem is, Felix."

"Some guy rejected you and you can't figure out where you went wrong," came the matter-of-fact reply.

For some reason, it really pissed Nicki off that Felix was right. She sighed. "I'm tired of fooling around with little boys who don't know what they want," she said after a moment had passed.

"Well, Nicki, why don't you let a real man show you a good time? I would make you forget any of those little boys you're talking about. You doing anything later tonight?"

"Maybe," Nicki said coyly. "It all depends on if you're free or not."

Felix raised an eyebrow and laughed. "I'll meet you at your cabin at midnight. I know exactly where it is."

Nicki was surprised when he kissed her lightly on the lips, then turned and sauntered away. She smiled to herself. This Felix guy wasn't going to make her problem with Lucas any better, but he sure would be a welcome distraction...

- - -

Brooke tilted her head back, allowing Felix more access to her neck. Felix continued planting small kisses along her jaw line, then down her neck, then along her collarbone. His breath was cool against her skin, sending shivers up and down her back. His hot fingers were tracing circles on the exposed skin of her stomach above where her low slung jeans ended.

"Mmm, Felix, that feels good," Brooke murmured. "Don't stop..."

Felix brought his lips up to catch Brooke's. When she let out a slight sigh, he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. His tongue lightly traced her lips before entering her mouth.

Brooke smiled against his lips. "You are amazing, baby," she whispered, pulling away slightly.

Felix grinned wickedly at her. "So you like that, do you?" he asked. "What if we tried...something else?" He raised his eyebrows suggestively, causing Brooke to giggle. He took it as an invitation and his hands began finding their way underneath Brooke's halter top. As his hands reached her bra, trying to unclasp it, Brooke let out a surprised gasp.

Warning bells started going off in Brooke's head. "Felix," she started, "come on..." She grabbed his hands and removed them from beneath her shirt.

"I like it when a girl plays hard to get," Felix said, playing with the button on her jeans now.

"Stop it!" Brooke cried, pushing him away.

Felix rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation. "What? Brooke, I thought we came here to have a good time? We've had a perfect time together today, it's the perfect setting...by the ocean with the moon shining down on us..."

"We have had a good time, but that doesn't mean the night has to lead to this!"

"You're not a virgin, are you?"

It was Brooke's turn to roll her eyes. "No, I'm not, but that doesn't mean I have to sleep with every boy that kisses me," she snapped. "I'm sorry if you thought this was going to lead to something else, but kissing is as far as it's going for now."

The flash of anger in Felix's eyes scared Brooke. It was gone in an instant as he checked his watch. By the time he looked back up at Brooke, the angry look was gone, replaced by a smile. "You're right, Brooke. I'm sorry for pushing you," he said, taking her hand and kissing it. "I just got a little carried away with how beautiful you look tonight. Listen, maybe we should just call it a night for now. I'm sure Peyton and her parents are worried about you."

Brooke had to smile. Felix had nearly taken things too far, but he was clearly feeling sorry for it. He was, once again, being the perfect gentleman she had met on that first night at dinner. "Thanks, Felix. You're probably right. If Larry and Karen aren't still awake, I'm sure Peyton is, and she's probably wondering where I am."

"Will you be okay to walk back by yourself?" Felix asked, casting another quick glance at his watch. "I, uh, just realized I needed to take care of something for Dan before I go back to my cabin."

"Um, yeah, sure," Brooke said, taking Felix's hands as he helped her up from her spot in the sand.

"Great, thanks, babe," he replied, leaning in for one last, lingering kiss before walking away. "See you at breakfast, beautiful!"

- - -

Nicki lay across her bed, feeling more and more humiliated as each minute crept by. She was a fool. Of course Felix wasn't going to come to her cabin...he was probably just the type of jerk who liked playing around with girls, seeing what he could do to hurt them. He had approached her at a time when she was clearly vulnerable, an easy target for him. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes, but she held them back. She wasn't going to cry over a man, especially a man who was a complete stranger to her.

A knock sounded on Nicki's door suddenly, surprising her. She looked up, wide-eyed, checking the clock on her bedside table. 12:05. She quickly adjusted her silky red lingerie, throwing the matching robe over top of it, and made sure her hair was in place before going to answer the door. Standing on the tiny front porch was Felix, his shirt and pants wrinkled and desire in his eyes.

"I thought you'd never get here," Nicki growled as Felix pushed into the room, closing the door behind him before taking Nicki roughly into his arms and kissing her.

"Let's not make small talk," Felix said huskily, leading her to the bed.

- - -

Lucas was jolted from his sleep by someone pounding unrelentingly on the door to his cabin. He ignored it for a moment, burying his head beneath his pillow, hoping whoever it was would go away. He was not ready to start his day.

"Scott! Open the damn door!"

Lucas groaned, recognizing the voice as belonging to Mouth. He knew he had no choice but to let him in; Mouth was nothing if not persistent. Lucas pulled himself from his bed and went over to his door, yanking it open forcefully. "Mouth! Calm the hell down! You're acting like the damn resort is on fire or something," he said irritably, moving aside to let his friend in.

Mouth promptly sat down in a chair and looked up at Lucas with a smile on his face. "All alone, huh?"

Lucas rubbed his eyes sleepily as he began to rummage through his things to find something to wear for the day. He stifled a yawn as he replied, "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

Mouth shrugged. "I don't know. I just thought that maybe a certain someone had joined you last night."

Lucas stared at his friend in confusion as he pulled a shirt over his head. "I really don't know what the hell you're talking about, man."

Mouth rolled his eyes. "I saw you last night. Dancing. Putting the charm on one of the guests."

Lucas turned to face Mouth. "It was nothing. She looked lonely, so I thought I'd be nice," he explained quickly, perhaps a little too quickly.

A wide grin spread across Mouth's face, clearly noticing Lucas's discomfort. "Peyton's a nice girl. Pretty, too. I think she's kind of into you," he said with a laugh.

Lucas was pleased to hear that Mouth thought so, but didn't say anything. He simply shrugged. "I'm not really interested in girls or relationships or any of that shit right now, man. I'm too worried about Haley and her situation."

Mouth nodded in understanding. "Yeah. Has she found out anything for sure?"

"No." Lucas shook his head and ran a hand through his spiky hair. "I got her the test but she was too nervous to take it last night. I guess she's going to take it today..." He trailed off, not really knowing what else to say, and Mouth was silent. Finally, Lucas smiled and continued, "Let's go get some breakfast and if we don't see her there we'll go by her cabin."

- - -

As Peyton walked with her dad, Karen, and Brooke to the dining room for breakfast, she was lost in her own world, replaying the events of the night before over and over in her head. She knew a large grin was plastered on her face, but she didn't care. There was just something about Lucas that Peyton found undeniably attractive and addictive. She couldn't stop thinking about how he had held her close, how he rested his forehead against hers. And that smile...that smile made a million butterflies start fluttering in her stomach.

"Peyton! What is up with you?" Brooke whispered, speeding up her pace to catch up with her. They were slightly ahead of Larry and Karen, who both seemed oblivious to Peyton's strange mood that morning.

"What are you talking about?" Peyton asked, feigning innocence.

Brooke narrowed her eyes at Peyton. "P. Sawyer, in case you have forgotten, we've been best friends since practically the beginning of time. I can tell when you've got it bad for a boy, and honey, you've got it bad. So who is he?"

Peyton tried to laugh it off, shaking her head and causing her blonde curls to bounce on her shoulders. "You're crazy, B. Davis," she said. "There is no boy."

"If you expect me to believe that, you are the crazy one," Brooke retorted.

"Is everything okay, girls?" Karen asked suddenly, falling in to step beside of them.

Peyton looked over, surprised. "Oh, yeah, everything's great, Karen," she said quickly.

"Brooke?"

"Perfect!" Brooke chirped with a wide smile. "Just having some girl talk about...girly things."

"I knew I was crazy when I decided to take three girls on vacation," Larry joked from behind them, causing Karen to turn around and swat at him playfully. Peyton opened her mouth to make a smart comment, but instantly snapped it shut again when she noticed a familiar blonde haired, blue eyed boy making his way toward them. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes met his.

"Good morning," Lucas said as he passed Peyton and her group, nodding at Larry and Karen.

"Morning," Peyton mumbled, feeling her cheeks grow warm. Brooke was eying her curiously and she knew she was in for it now.

Sure enough, Brooke jabbed Peyton in the ribs with her elbow, clapping her hands together excitedly. "So, was that him? He is cute! Oh my God, Peyton, I can't believe you are trying to hold out on me!"

Peyton glanced cautiously over her shoulder at Karen, who was watching the girls closely, looking somewhat amused. Her dad didn't seem to be noticing anything out of the ordinary. Peyton turned back to Brooke. "I'll talk to you later..."

Later came much too soon for Peyton. Shortly after breakfast, Brooke dragged her down to the beach where, after getting settled onto a couple of lounge chairs, she began to grill her.

"So," Brooke began, looking sideways at Peyton. "What's the story, bestie?"

Peyton sighed, not really wanting to go into the details. There really wasn't anything going on between her and Lucas. It was just a simple dance, but Brooke would be sure to turn it into something it wasn't. "There's not much of a story," Peyton said, shrugging.

"But there is a story?" Brooke clarified.

"If you can call it that. I was out walking around the resort last night and I ran into this guy I've talked to a couple of times, Mouth. He took me to one of the staff cabins where they were having a party and I ran into Lucas there. That's pretty much it."

"The shade of red on your face right now tells me that's not pretty much it," Brooke insisted.

"Okay, fine," Peyton said finally, clearly annoyed with Brooke's persistence. "I barely said two words to him and was getting ready to leave when he stopped me and asked me to dance with him, so I did. Afterward he thanked me for the dance and kissed my hand."

"What happened next?" Brooke squealed.

"That's it." Peyton leaned back into the lounge chair, resting her head on the back, and closed her eyes. "He went back to his dance partner and I left pretty soon after that."

Brooke growled in frustration. "You should have stuck around, flirted with him some! You know, make sure he knows you're interested."

Peyton opened her eyes. "I don't even know if I'm interested, Brooke."

"Then who are you interested in? Nathan Scott?" she teased, a wicked gleam in her eyes.

Peyton just glared at her.

- - -

Author's Notes: Here's the next chapter. Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot of Leyton action, just some scenes to set up some things to happen later, but there's more to look forward to.

I want to thank everyone for all of your reviews! It means so much to know that there are people out there enjoying this.

I have several days off from work, so I'm hoping to be able to write some more on this story and possibly on another story I have an idea for.

Please review!


	5. Chapter 4

**DIRTY DANCING  
**_A One Tree Hill Fanfiction  
_Chapter 4:

Lucas was worried. He had been looking for Haley all day to find out about the results of her pregnancy test, but she was nowhere to be found. She hadn't turned up for her dance lessons earlier in the day, and now, as the afternoon faded into evening, she had still not made an appearance. She hadn't come to meals, she wasn't in her cabin, and Lucas was starting to think the worst. He wanted to keep looking for her, but he knew that at least one of them should show up in the ballroom that evening, or Dan would be sure to fire both of them.

One of the worst things about being a dance instructor at Seabrook was that anytime a guest asked him for a dance, he couldn't refuse. He was now dancing with a woman who looked old enough to be his mother, and every time she batted her heavy black lashes at him he was wondering how he could get away without being rude or without it getting back to Dan. His heart wasn't into dancing that night, his mind too preoccupied with thoughts of Haley and her test results. As they waltzed around the room, Lucas's eyes continued to scan the crowd, hoping to find his dance partner. He saw Peyton a few times, first with her parents and then with Nathan, which made his fist tighten in anger.

The song finally ended and Lucas quickly thanked his partner before gracefully turning and walking off the dance floor. Mouth was by the CD player, rummaging through a box of CDs. "Have you seen her yet?" Lucas asked quietly, giving Mouth a slight nudge.

Mouth looked up and Lucas saw the worried look on his face. He shook his head. "No, not even a glimpse. Usually if I don't talk to her during the day I at least will lay eyes on her, but I haven't even done that. I'm really worried that she hasn't shown up at all today."

Lucas nodded, a frown forming on his face. Before he could say anything, another guest approached him and he reluctantly led her to the dance floor.

Peyton stood on the edge of the dance floor beside her dad and stepmom and Nathan, whose head was so big that she was surprised there was still room for anyone else in the room. He had talked about himself all evening, practically boring Peyton to tears. The worst part of it all was the fact that her dad was impressed by him, listening to every word he spoke. She watched as Lucas danced with an older woman who was obviously having a better time than he was. He looked positively miserable. If she was a bit more courageous, she might go over and ask him to dance, but she wasn't that forward. He didn't look like he was much into dancing tonight, anyway.

Peyton was jolted from her thoughts by Nathan's voice. "It's a beautiful night tonight, Peyton," he said, slipping an arm around her shoulders. "Would you like to go on a walk? I could show you around the resort a bit, the spots where guests don't typically get to go."

Peyton opened her mouth to say no, but was interrupted by her dad. "That's a great idea, Peyton," he said, a broad smile on his face.

As Nathan led her away, Peyton wondered what she had ever done in life to deserve him. He continued rambling on and on about himself and other things Peyton really didn't care about, pointing out various things around the resort. "Would you like a drink or a snack?" Nathan asked, stopping. "Personally, I'm parched."

"Um, sure," Peyton said, following Nathan into the building they had stopped in front of.

"This is the kitchen, obviously," Nathan said, walking to the back toward the refrigerators. "What would you like? Soda, juice, wine?" He grinned as he held up an open wine bottle.

"Um, actually, I'll just have water," Peyton replied, shifting on her feet.

Nathan shrugged and put the wine bottle down, then turned to search the refrigerator. Peyton heard a noise, but couldn't see anything when she looked around; it was too dark. Nathan pulled a bottled water from the refrigerator and handed it to Peyton, who took it and smiled. He turned his back and Peyton was sure she heard the noise again- a sort of sniffling noise, like someone was crying. Peyton glanced around the room, then finally found what she was looking for: a figure crouched down by a table. The moonlight streaming in through a window in the back illuminated the figure's face and Peyton could see it was Lucas's dance partner. Their eyes met for a moment and Peyton could see the pleading in her eyes.

Peyton nodded at the girl and turned back to Nathan, who was pouring wine into a wine glass. "Hey, Nathan, let's go back to the auditorium," she said, tugging on his arm. "I'm kind of in the mood to dance."

Nathan raised his eyebrows at her but finished the wine in his glass quickly and took her hand. "Sure."

When they reached the ballroom, Peyton immediately dropped Nathan's hand and ran for Mouth. He looked shocked when she grabbed him. As soon as she whispered into his ear about what he had seen in the kitchen, he nodded and ran for Lucas, who was dancing with yet another middle-aged woman.

"Luke, we found her," Mouth said breathlessly.

Lucas's eyes widened as he quickly apologized to the woman he was dancing with and ran off the floor and out the door. Mouth and Peyton followed closely behind.

"Where is she?" Lucas asked.

"She was in the kitchen," Peyton replied, rushing to catch up with him. "I'm not sure what's wrong, but she was crying."

"She's pregnant," Mouth said in explanation.

Lucas shot a look at Mouth and exclaimed, "Mouth! We don't know that for sure!"

Mouth shrugged. "Why else would she be hiding all day?" he asked in defense.

Peyton stopped dead in her tracks as Mouth's words hit her. "Pregnant?" she gasped loudly. "Who's, ah, the father?" She automatically looked in Lucas's direction and their eyes met, and Peyton felt her heart sink as fury became written all over his face.

"Nice, Peyton," Lucas snapped, "you automatically think it's mine, right? Just because I'm her dance partner, you assume we're fuck buddies too?" His piercing blue eyes were fiery with anger.

Peyton's mouth dropped open and she shook her head. "No, no it's not like that," she exclaimed. "I didn't mean to imply anything, I swear!" She looked helplessly at Mouth, who just shook his head.

Lucas glared at her for a moment longer before storming off. Mouth put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Come on," he said softly, "in case Nathan comes back out here. Don't worry about Lucas, okay? He's stressed out right now, worried about Haley, and he's letting it get to him."

Peyton nodded as she looked down at her feet. Her big mouth always seemed to get her into trouble and this time was no exception. She followed along with Mouth as they rushed to catch up with Lucas. As they reached the kitchen, Lucas burst inside and rushed to the back, where he gathered a shivering Haley into his arms.

"Shh, Hales, it's okay, baby, I'm here," he murmured, pulling her to his chest and rocking her back and forth.

"Luke," came Haley's anguished voice as she clung to him, burying her tear-stained face in his chest. "It came out positive, Luke. I don't know what to do!"

"Let's get her back to your cabin, Luke," Mouth said, looking around nervously. "We'll be in deep shit if anyone finds us in here."

Lucas nodded and picked her up off the floor, setting off across the resort to the employee cabins. Haley sobbed uncontrollably into his shoulder the whole time. Peyton's heart broke for the girl. Once they reached Lucas's cabin, he placed Haley on his sofa and gathered a blanket from the bed, wrapping it around her shoulders while Mouth got her a glass of tea. She sipped on it for a few minutes before Lucas broke the silence.

"What do you want to do, Hales?" he asked, squeezing her hand.

Haley set her glass down on a table and wiped at her eyes. "I don't know what to do," she replied. "I- I can't have this baby, Luke, I can't!"

Peyton had been watching the three from near the doorway, but now she stepped closer. "Have you told the father? I'm sure if you told him, he'd help out," she suggested helpfully.

Haley rolled her eyes. "I'm not so naive that I would even entertain the thought that that bastard Felix Taggaro would help me." She clapped a hand over her mouth as she realized what she had just said.

"Felix?" Peyton asked, stunned, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Shit!" Lucas yelled, jumping up from his place on the couch.

Mouth pushed him back down. "Calm down," he said quietly. "Getting pissed off isn't going to help anything. Listen, I know a doctor in the next town over, if that's what you want to do, Hales."

For the first time that night, Haley looked hopeful. Uncertainty crossed her face once again. "But how much would something like that cost?"

"I'm not sure, but I can call him right now and find out. He has late office hours." Haley nodded, biting her lip. Mouth grabbed the phone next to Lucas's bed and dialed a number. After speaking for a few minutes, he looked back at Haley, sighing. "He says he can do it in his office a week from now for $500. After that, he's going on vacation for four weeks."

Haley stared at him, her mouth hanging open, then promptly burst into tears again. "Where the hell am I going to get $500?" She leaned back into the couch and covered her eyes.

"That's the night we're supposed to go dance at the Marriott, too," Lucas said thoughtfully.

"The Marriott?" Peyton asked, looking at Mouth for explanation.

"They dance at the Marriott every year. They get a nice commission from it and a promise of a yearly gig," Mouth explained briefly before turning to look at Haley and Lucas again. "Yes or no? He's still waiting."

"No," Haley said, sighing in defeat.

"Yes," Lucas said, ignoring Haley's words. "Tell him we'll take it for now, and then we'll figure something out."

Mouth nodded and went back to talking to the doctor in hushed tones. Peyton went to sit next to Haley on the couch, running different ideas through her head, wanting to give Haley hope. "Couldn't someone else fill in for you? Can't someone else learn the steps?" she asked finally.

"No! No one else is as good as Haley," Lucas snapped, not giving Haley the opportunity to answer.

Peyton sat in silence as Mouth finished up with the doctor. Finally he hung up the phone and turned back to face the other three. "Okay, we're all set. If we want to cancel we have to do it in the next few days or else he'll have to charge us anyway."

"Great," Lucas replied, sarcasm dripping from his voice as he paced the room.

Peyton knew she should probably keep quiet, but she wanted to help if she could. So far her advice hadn't been very helpful. "Maybe you could ask Dan Scott for an advance on your pay?"

Haley snorted. "You really have no idea who Dan Scott really is," she snapped. "He would kick us both out of here without pay if he found out about this. You can't tell anyone, you have to promise you won't!"

Peyton shook her head. "Of course not! You have my word."

- - -

After Peyton and her family finished breakfast the next morning, Peyton caught her dad by the arm before he could get up and leave the dining room. "Daddy, you know how you've always told me that if someone is in trouble I should help?" Peyton asked when he looked at her.

"Of course, Peyton," Larry said, looking at his daughter with concern etched on his face. "What is it?"

"Well, I know someone here who's in trouble," she replied. "Can- can I borrow $500?"

Larry arched an eyebrow in surprise. "That's a lot of money," he said. "What's it for?"

Peyton bit her lip as she looked away from her dad. "I can't say," she replied finally. "I promised the person I wouldn't. But you can trust me, Daddy, you know that!"

"This isn't something with Brooke, is it?" Larry asked, eying Brooke, who was across the dining room flirting with Felix. "I know her parents aren't around much, but she can always come to Karen and me."

"No, it has nothing to do with Brooke, or me," Peyton said. "Please, Dad? I'll pay you back someday, I promise."

Larry looked deeply into his daughter's pleading eyes and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's not anything illegal, is it?"

"No, of course not!" Peyton said quickly.

Larry's expression softened and he nodded his head. "That was a stupid question. I'll have the money for you later this evening, okay?"

Peyton beamed. "Thanks, Daddy!" she exclaimed, hugging him tightly.

- - -

Peyton walked up to the employee cabins, an envelope clutched in her sweaty hand. She opened the double doors and maneuvered her way through the crowd of closely dancing couples. Her eyes scanned the crowd, looking for Lucas or Haley or Mouth, and finally she spotted Lucas and Haley dancing closely together in a secluded corner of the room. Mouth was standing nearby, talking to someone Peyton didn't recognize.

Peyton approached the dancing couple and tapped Haley's shoulder, who looked up in surprise as they broke apart. Lucas stared at her blankly. A wide grin formed on Peyton's face as she thrust the envelope into Haley's hands. "Here's your money."

Haley looked at the envelope in her hands, then to Lucas, and then to Peyton. She gasped a little as she held onto the envelope for dear life. "Did- did Felix...?"

Peyton shook her head quickly. "No, I didn't even talk to him," she said apologetically. "I can hardly stand looking at him, to be honest."

Haley licked her lips and put her hands on her hips. "Then where did you get this?" She opened the envelope and thumbed through the bills.

"You said you needed the money..." Peyton shrugged.

"Yeah, it takes a real saint to ask daddy," Lucas said suddenly, his piercing blue eyes narrowed at her.

Peyton's face fell at his sarcastic tone, but she decided to ignore him. Haley handed her back the envelope with a sigh as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Thanks, Peyton, but I can't use it." She unfolded her arms, reaching for Lucas's hand, and pulled him back out onto the dance floor.

"What?" Lucas asked in confusion, staring at Haley with a dumbfounded expression on his face. "Hales, what's the matter with you? You should take the money!"

"I can't," Haley said, tears in her eyes. "I can't let us lose next year's dance at the Marriott because I made a stupid mistake."

Mouth came to stand by Peyton and she looked up at him questioningly. "I couldn't move her appointment around and there really is no one else to do the dance that night. If they cancel this year, they will lose the gig for next year, too."

Peyton threw her arms up in frustration. "So there's no one else at all who can do the dance?" she asked. "I mean, there's got to be someone!"

Lucas looked at Peyton exasperatedly. "There's no one! How many time do we have to tell you? What? Do you want to do it? Does little Miss Fix-It want to take time away from playing the dutiful humanitarian to learn to dance?" he asked scathingly.

Peyton, Haley, and Mouth all stared at him. After a pause, Mouth grinned widely. "That's actually not a bad idea!"

"It was a joke, Mouth!" Lucas said, shaking his head in annoyance.

"No," Haley said, smiling for the first time that night. "Luke, you're an amazing dancer and a great partner! You can lead anyone!"

Lucas stared at Haley in disbelief. "You know I can't teach her that dance in less than a week!" he said incredulously.

"I'm a quick learner," Peyton said finally, staring at Lucas. "I know I could do it, Lucas, if you'd just give me the chance."

Lucas looked from Peyton to Haley and back again, the groaned in frustration, raking a hand through his hair. "You really want me to do this?" he asked.

A hopeful look spread across Haley's face. "Please," she said, almost begging, as she put a hand on his arm. "Luke, this is our only chance to make this all work."

"If I agree to this," Lucas said slowly after a moment, "you've got to promise me that you'll give this your all. Our futures depend on this." He pointed at himself and Haley, who looked like she was on the verge of exploding with excitement. "This isn't just a game."

"I've got it," Peyton said coolly, nodding her head. If Lucas wanted a dancer, she'd give him a dancer.

- - -

Author's Notes: I should be able to get out another chapter or two before I go back to work next week. Please review to let me know what you think about this chapter!


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